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Lancaster County School District
Lancaster County School District is accepting 2012 nominations for its Education Hall of Fame.
The deadline for nominations is Feb. 6. Education Hall of Fame inductees are traditionally announced during the district’s Celebration of Excellence banquet in the spring.
Nominees may be former teachers, administrators, board members or community members who have made significant contributions to the district through their work as civic leaders, politicians or as “friends of education.”

Nita Brown
For The Lancaster News
Residents throughout Lancaster County turned out to celebrate New Year’s and support Habitat for Humanity of Lancaster County.
Pamela Giardiello, chairwoman of Habitat for Humanity of Lancaster County, said she is grateful for the support of the “Topping Out” New Year’s Eve fundraiser at the Fairway Room on Dec. 31.
Habitat’s mission is to provide affordable homes for lower-income families in Lancaster County.

Reece Murphyrmurphy@thelancasternews.com
A cap on lawsuit awards, immigration checks for employees and photo IDs to register a new vehicle top the list of new South Carolina laws that went into effect Sunday, Jan. 1.
Tort reform
The S.C. Fairness in Civil Justice Act of 2011, signed into law by Gov. Nikki Haley on June 14, 2011, limits punitive damages in most civil lawsuits to $500,000 or three times the actual damages, whichever is greater.
The law only affects new lawsuits filed after Jan. 1 and allows for exceptions.

Jesef Williamsjwilliams@thelancasternews.com
No arrests have been made in the Friday night armed robbery of a Meeting Street gas station.
An officer came to the Westgate Exxon shortly after 8:30 p.m. to talk with the store clerk, who said she was robbed at gunpoint about 10 minutes prior, according to a Lancaster Police Department incident report.
The clerk was in the cooler stocking drinks when a man entered the store.
The man had his back toward the clerk when she walked behind the counter and tried to assist him, the report said.

Michele Roberts
For The Lancaster News
INDIAN LAND – Santa took time out of his busy schedule Christmas Eve to accompany the Pleasant Valley and Indian Land fire departments for the 20th year of the Panhandle Project, which distributes Christmas gifts and other goodies to local families in need.
Volunteers gathered at the Pleasant Valley Fire Department early Dec. 24 to load presents and food boxes onto the firetrucks, which were bound for the homes of 28 families in the panhandle area of Lancaster County.

Christopher Sardellicsardelli@thelancasternews.com
As her last week of work with the county came to a close, Cassie Stump sat back in her chair and considered the few small mementos left on her desk.
Stump, who ended her more than two decades of service to the county last week, had already boxed up most of her belongings, though a few items remained.

It’s hard to believe 2011 is nearly over. Despite the fact that economists say we’ve now been in a economic recovery for a good two years now, 2011 was still a hard year, especially for the nearly 12.6 percent of us still out of work in Lancaster County.

It amazes me as to how the media actually functions and expects the people to continue to support them.
While watching Fox News, they displayed a banner asking the viewers to Twitter their responses to the following question: “Have you chosen your candidate for the presidential election yet, or are you still undecided?”
Are they serious?
With the current slate of Republican candidates constantly attacking one another and basically self-destructing on a daily basis, how can that question be asked seriously?